If you will, you can become all flame.Extra caritatem nulla salus.In order to become whole, take the "I" out of "holiness". सर्वभूतहितἌνω σχῶμεν τὰς καρδίας"Those who say religion has nothing to do with politics do not know what religion is." -- Mohandas GandhiY dduw bo'r diolch.

Still waiting on a 1099-R for a disbursement from an annuity we have. Hopefully we'll get it in the next couple of days, and I can begin the annual ritual of pulling out my hair trying to understand the forms and instructions. My wife says I'm horrible to be around when doing taxes. I don't even like being around myself while doing them .

How good/complete are programs like TurboTax? We can't really afford H and R Block, et. al.

Perhaps you can find an accountant to do them for you? Individuals are cheaper than H&R Block, etc.

I plan on doing mine in the next couple of weeks.

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Conquer evil men by your gentle kindness, and make zealous men wonder at your goodness. Put the lover of legality to shame by your compassion. With the afflicted be afflicted in mind. Love all men, but keep distant from all men.—St. Isaac of Syria

Perhaps you can find an accountant to do them for you? Individuals are cheaper than H&R Block, etc.

I plan on doing mine in the next couple of weeks.

I've always done them myself. Pretty simple really--we don't itemize. It's just that this year there's that new thingy I've got to deal with. I hate to admit it but new crap associated with the IRS always intimidates me. I'm fairly sure that with enough whiskey (just kidding), or rather PATIENCE, I'll manage to figure it out. Got any experience with TurboTax, etc? Are they worth the money, which is, I think, cheaper than H&R Block or an accountant?

I don't have Turbo Tax, but, know a number of folks at work who swear by it.

I believe an accountant would be cheaper....and a friend who does taxes would only be the price of a dinner.

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Conquer evil men by your gentle kindness, and make zealous men wonder at your goodness. Put the lover of legality to shame by your compassion. With the afflicted be afflicted in mind. Love all men, but keep distant from all men.—St. Isaac of Syria

Really? That's all? Hey, if it's smarter than I am (which isn't difficult ), it may just be worth it--if it knows what 1099-R is and what to do with it .

I've seen someone actually use this...and it takes you step by step....almost fool proof....but, you need to know which tabs apply, etc. For $30 I would say it's worth it!

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Conquer evil men by your gentle kindness, and make zealous men wonder at your goodness. Put the lover of legality to shame by your compassion. With the afflicted be afflicted in mind. Love all men, but keep distant from all men.—St. Isaac of Syria

Really? That's all? Hey, if it's smarter than I am (which isn't difficult ), it may just be worth it--if it knows what 1099-R is and what to do with it .

Yes, it knows the random forms. I just had to do a 1099-C and it wasn't any problem whatsoever.

Are you using Turbotax from their website and e-filing? My wife's a little paranoid about the whole security issue and who's seeing what and who can get access, etc. Or, do you have a cd that you're using and everything just stays on your computer without going into cyberspace?

Really? That's all? Hey, if it's smarter than I am (which isn't difficult ), it may just be worth it--if it knows what 1099-R is and what to do with it .

I've seen someone actually use this...and it takes you step by step....almost fool proof....but, you need to know which tabs apply, etc. For $30 I would say it's worth it!

Two things I like about TurboTax online:1. If your federal tax filing is simple enough, they'll do it for free. (I think you still have to pay a fee for your state tax returns.)2. Every year that I've filed online, I got my refund within the next 7-10 days. On average, filing via snail mail will get you your refund in double to triple the time.

Really? That's all? Hey, if it's smarter than I am (which isn't difficult ), it may just be worth it--if it knows what 1099-R is and what to do with it .

Yes, it knows the random forms. I just had to do a 1099-C and it wasn't any problem whatsoever.

Are you using Turbotax from their website and e-filing? My wife's a little paranoid about the whole security issue and who's seeing what and who can get access, etc. Or, do you have a cd that you're using and everything just stays on your computer without going into cyberspace?

Is filing online any less secure than filling out all the paperwork and dropping it physically into a mailbox that can be broken into or a mail distribution system that occasionally loses mail? Just think about how many people will handle your snail mail in transit from your hands to the IRS, and it can't be encrypted.

It honestly seems like they just make it up in every case. They withheld like 15% of my pay last year for taxes and after I've done my taxes, my actual tax that I have to pay after everything is considered was only $5.

Still waiting on a 1099-R for a disbursement from an annuity we have. Hopefully we'll get it in the next couple of days, and I can begin the annual ritual of pulling out my hair trying to understand the forms and instructions. My wife says I'm horrible to be around when doing taxes. I don't even like being around myself while doing them .

How good/complete are programs like TurboTax? We can't really afford H and R Block, et. al.

HR Block has a free one too. Better than TurboTax, they won't expect you to actually know or find some obscure code from last year that you need to complete this year's tax return (and after you've entered everything and realize there's no way in heck you are ever going to find that code again so you just wasted a bunch of time).

What I love about Turbo tax is that all my information carries over each year. I really only have to enter a few numbers to have it done. We itemize our deductions, it takes me less than 1 hour to file taxes from start to finish. Your electronic signature is based upon your previous year's return. Since I have filed thru TT for years, it is a very easy process.

What I love about Turbo tax is that all my information carries over each year. I really only have to enter a few numbers to have it done. We itemize our deductions, it takes me less than 1 hour to file taxes from start to finish. Your electronic signature is based upon your previous year's return. Since I have filed thru TT for years, it is a very easy process.

They must have improved it. I used them once years ago, then went to use them again the next year and nothing was carried over and they wanted me to find the code I mentioned in my previous post. No way to get it again, it wasn't even in the files I saved from them.

Still waiting on a 1099-R for a disbursement from an annuity we have. Hopefully we'll get it in the next couple of days, and I can begin the annual ritual of pulling out my hair trying to understand the forms and instructions. My wife says I'm horrible to be around when doing taxes. I don't even like being around myself while doing them .

How good/complete are programs like TurboTax? We can't really afford H and R Block, et. al.

HR Block has a free one too. Better than TurboTax, they won't expect you to actually know or find some obscure code from last year that you need to complete this year's tax return (and after you've entered everything and realize there's no way in heck you are ever going to find that code again so you just wasted a bunch of time).

Come to think of it, this is the first year since I started using TurboTax that I did NOT have to find that obscure code from last year, so I think they just got rid of your reason for complaint.

Hey, thanks for all the feedback, everybody !!! Here's what I think I'll do. Once I get the blasted 1099-R in the mail, I'll go through it all and try to do it myself. If I start reaching for my head to pull out some hair, or if my wife thinks I'm getting more cantankerous than I usually am, I'll head for TurboTax!

not yet. just got the rest of my 1099's today. i pay quarterly since every penny i make is through independent contract work. (music & music lessons)

mine are a pain because I have to add up every receipt ive saved throughout the year plus add up all my car mileage. after i do that, i take it to a CPA and pay him $200 to do it all for me. its way too much of a headache for me to even want to deal with. and he usually saves me $200 more somehow that I wouldnt have figured out myself, so it evens out.

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Even if we have thousands of acts of great virtue to our credit, our confidence in being heard must be based on God's mercy and His love for men. Even if we stand at the very summit of virtue, it is by mercy that we shall be saved.

Well, I've got to amend my previous post . After "filing" with Free File..., I got a notice that the return wasn't accepted. The reason given was some kind of weird code that I never did figure out. Tried 2 more times with one or two "fixes", both of which were also rejected. In total frustration and exasperation, I then filed both state and federal via TurboTax. Wow! They're great!! Federal's been accepted, still waiting on state. So far, I give it an A+ and it's worth the $$! And sooooooooooo much easier!!